Bowhunting Dates Extended for State Park Deer Control Hunts

In an effort to expand the opportunity for bowhunters to kill more deer within Oak Mountain State Park near Birmingham, hunt dates will be scheduled from Nov. 1, 2013 through Jan. 31, 2014.

Hunt dates will be weekdays only with the exception of the three weekends in January. Those dates are Jan. 11-12, Jan. 18-19 and Jan. 25-26. Oak Mountain State Park will remain open during the hunts. All established park rules and regulations will apply.

The program was designed by the Alabama State State Parks Division, the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division (WFF) and Bowhunters of Alabama (BHA) in an effort to maximize hunter opportunity and simplify the deer management process within the park.

The park will be divided into 11 zones with each zone accommodating four to five hunters on a first-come, first-serve basis. Up to 60 hunters will be chosen by BHA through a registration and interview process.

The Oak Mountain hunting format is modeled on other urban deer control programs across the United States and was beneficial in total number of deer killed from the park during the 2012-13 season. Sixty deer were killed during last year’s hunts (45 does and 15 bucks). Weather permitting, harvest numbers are expected to go up this season due to the expanded time frame.

Wildlife experts point to Oak Mountain State Park as a textbook case of how deer tend to multiply in numbers greater than their habitat can support unless controlled through regulated hunting. Past herd health checks and necropsy confirmed the presence of parasites and disease due to overpopulation. After consulting with state wildlife biologists and in consideration of scientific research data, regulated archery hunts were established in 2004 to control the Oak Mountain State Park herd.

Surveys conducted in 1999, 2000 and 2003 found that the Oak Mountain deer herd was causing serious damage to wildflowers, trees and shrubs as a result of feeding on park vegetation. In turn, populations of small mammals and nesting birds were negatively affected.

An ongoing independent study reveals a higher percentage of seedlings have survived since the hunts were implemented. As funds allow, future research will be conducted highlighting the improvements to park vegetation and to the health of the whitetail deer population due to the hunts.